Most women will experience pregnancy at least once in their lifetime. Pregnant women feel tired, sleepy and may forget names of the most important people in their lives. Logical thinking goes out of the window and at times, pregnant women can be extremely sensitive and slow-witted. Often labelled as baby brain, most experts considered this phenomenon to be a myth and too difficult to prove in a laboratory setting.
But a new study published in Nature Neuroscience recently revealed that this is not true. Baby brain is as real as the baby, women give birth too.
Pregnant women undergo severe hormonal variations during pregnancy which causes massive physical and biological changes in the body. This transformation extends even to the brain.
The new study shows that pregnancy brings significant changes to brain structure.
Over a period of 5 years and 4 months, the research team lead by neuroscientist Elseline Hoekzema of Leiden University, examined the brains of 25 first-time mothers before and after birth to find significant changes in grey matter. It was found that grey matter reduced in volume in regions of the brain associated with social processing and social cognition. These reductions were particularly significant in those regions which had the strongest response when mothers looked at photos of their babies.
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Analysis also involved 20 women who had never given birth, 19 first-time fathers and 17 men without children to provide further evidence that these changes in pregnant women were connected to biological processes of pregnancy and not experience-dependant, where the changes are associated with anticipation of approaching parenthood. Grey matter reduction was not seen in new fathers or nonparents.
The pregnant women in the study were tested again at a follow-up session and it was determined that these changes in the brain lasted nearly 2 years after giving birth, except for a partial recovery in the region associated with memory.
The study concluded that these changes in the brain during pregnancy, provides the support needed to transition into motherhood.
Baby brain is real and affects all pregnant women. It’s a natural progression of the human body preparing for new life and helping mothers approach parenthood.
So, if you can’t keep your eyes open when you are pregnant or forget your best friend’s name, laugh it off and blame it on your baby brain.
Source: Nature Neuroscience
